


A Bedtime Story

by CuppaTea90



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Moral of the story, Parents, bossy hermione, fairy tale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 05:04:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20465474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuppaTea90/pseuds/CuppaTea90
Summary: It's storytime at the Malfoy's, only Hermione wants to finish it her way.





	A Bedtime Story

**Author's Note:**

> Written as part of MourningMadam's Fairytale Fest. My prompt was 'The Three Spinning Women'.
> 
> A huge massive thank you to Coyg_81, LaBelladoneX and smithandbarrowman who dragged me through, inspired me, held me up, and gave me a kick up the ass when I needed it! I'd be totally lost without their friendship!  
A massive mug of Yorkshire Tea to LaBelladoneX who kept her patience beta'ing whilst suffering through my apparent dislike of the comma and all manner of grammar mistakes - that being said, any remaining mistakes are entirely my own!  
Further love to Coyg_81 who not only alpha'd for me but also created the adorable aesthetic!
> 
> This is my first ever solo fic, and I'm terrified but I hope it brings a smile to your faces!

“A long, long time ago, a lazy and very silly girl lived in a little rundown house, on the edge of a village.”

“Why was she silly, Daddy?”

“Because she never brushed her teeth after eating sweets, she sneaked biscuits when she thought her mother wasn’t looking, and—”

“No, Daddy, that’s me!” 

Draco paused, looking down at the young girl curled into his side. Her long, curly locks splayed behind her head, wide grey eyes looking up at him as if he was stupid. 

“You?! You’ve been sneaking the biscuits? Mummy has been blaming me!” He tickled her in the side, causing her to squirm and giggle. “Shh! We’re supposed to be keeping quiet, remember!” 

“Well, don’t tickle me then!” His little girl wriggled down, getting herself comfy again. 

“Okay, okay, so where was I? Oh, right, a silly girl. Well, her mother was sick and tired of her lazy ways, so she sent the girl outside to spin some flax. The girl hated this task; she wasn’t very good at it, and it hurt her fingers.” 

“Why did she have to do that?” 

“Because that’s what girls did back then; it’s how they made linen.” He smiled down at her, stroking her hair from her face. 

“Oh. Carry on, Daddy.” 

“Thank you, I will. So, the girl was outside whining about how unfair her life was, how the sun was hot, and her hands hurt. Her mother came rushing outside and started shouting at her, telling her she was fed up with all the excuses. And then... she hit her!” 

“Hit her? Why would she do that? It’s so mean.” 

His daughter’s innocence choked him; she had no idea of the cruelty the world could hold, and he hoped she’d never find out. He would do everything in his power to protect her, to ensure she never faced evil in the way her parents had.

“Well, because her mother was very frustrated with her and not a nice person at all.” 

“I’m glad my Mummy is a nice person. She gets cross with me sometimes, like when I don’t sit still in lessons, or when I leave my room in a mess. But she hasn’t ever hit me!” 

“No, of course not, love! And she never would. Mummy is the kindest person I’ve ever met.”

“You’re so lucky.”

“I beg your pardon?"

“That’s what Mummy always says — you’re so lucky she’s nice!”

“Oh, does she now? Well, maybe she’s the lucky one!” He tickled her gently again, catching her flailing arm and blowing a raspberry on it. 

“Nah, I think you’re lucky, Daddy, because you have Mummy _ and _me! And we’re the best!” She giggled, swatting him away. 

“Well, you have me there. I am very lucky indeed that I have you both. And I wouldn’t swap you for the world, even if you are so cheeky!” 

“What happened next? Did the girl die?”

“What? No! Of course not! But, whilst her mother was hitting her and shouting, the Queen was passing by in the Royal carriage and heard the commotion.” Putting on his best female voice impression he continued, “What is all this ruckus? Take your hands off her!” 

“Haha, Daddy, that’s funny. You make them sound so silly!” 

Continuing in his fake voice, Draco pointed his finger in her face, “How dare you, I’m the Queen, you’re supposed to respect me, young lady!” 

She swatted at his hand again, grabbing at his finger, and bringing it down to wrap around her, arranging him just how she wanted. 

“Oh! Your Majesty! Well, my daughter... she, uhm, she won’t stop spinning flax! I can’t keep up with her and she’s spinning me out of house and home!”

“Daddy, she’s lying! She’s lying!” 

“I know! How naughty of her, right? We must never lie, agreed?”

“What about when you took me flying when Mummy was out with aunty Gin—”

He cut her off, placing his hand over her mouth. “Shhh, that’s not a lie, it’s a… secret. Our secret!” He whispered conspiratorially to her. “To protect Daddy's bits from being hexed off…” He mumbled to himself. 

  
“Anyway, right, so where was I? Oh, right… ‘She won’t stop spinning flax!’ The Queen looked at the pile of flax next to the spinning wheel and back at the sobbing girl on the floor. ‘Well, as it happens, I am in need of an excellent flax spinner. I’ll take her with me. If she can complete all my spinning in three days, she can marry the Prince!’” 

“The Prince! Oooh, she’s like Cinderella!” 

“No, darling, Cinderella actually _ did _ work before she met her Prince.” 

“Mummy!” Their little girl squealed and clambered out of bed, running across the room, and leaping into her mother’s arms. 

“You’re home early!” Draco’s face lit up as his wife carried their daughter back to bed. He leaned over to kiss her softly as she climbed in, their daughter now wedged between them. 

“I am, just in time to save storytime, it seems…” She looked at him pointedly. 

“Daddy’s been doing funny voices, Mummy. It’s a story of a lazy and silly girl who’s being kidnapped by a Queen to spin flux!” 

“Flax, and she’s not being kidnapped. She’s being offered a proposition,” Draco grinned guiltily at his wife. 

“Daddy, what’s a prop—”

“You know I don’t like this story, Draco, it’s got such a poor message for Cassie.” Hermione scowled at him, her amber eyes boring into his. 

“But Mummy, I wanted to hear about the funny lip lady!” Hermione glanced down to see the sorrowful face of their daughter looking up at her. 

Pulling a curl straight and watching it spring back into place, Hermione sighed. “Fine, but I’ll tell the ending. Deal?”

“Deal!” She squealed before Draco could cut in. “Carry on, Daddy! The Queen is taking the girl to marry the Prince!” 

  
“Right, yes, uhm… So, the girl went with the Queen, her mother gleefully waving her off, glad to be free of her lazy daughter. When they arrived at the Queen’s house—”

“Castle, Daddy! Queen’s live in castles!”

“Castle, right, sorry! When they arrived at the Queen’s _ castle _, the young girl was immediately led to a room that contained three doors and a spinning wheel. ‘Behind each door, you’ll find a room of flax. Spin all the flax in three days and you’ll be married on the fourth.’ With that, the Queen left the room, leaving the girl gawping in shock.” 

“That’s a lot of work in three days!” The matter of fact tone with which their daughter spoke made Hermione chuckle. 

“You’re right, she’d have to work very hard to accomplish that. Just like _ you _ have to work very hard to solve your math puzzles!” Hermione stroked her daughter’s head, her face turning serious. 

“I hate maths!” Cassie scowled — just like her mother, Draco noted — folding her arms in a huff. 

  
“Shh, Mummy will get all cross again!” He whispered in Cassie’s ear as Hermione poked her tongue out at him. He winked and blew her a kiss. 

“Mummy thinks that it’s way past bedtime so maybe we should forget the story…” Hermione’s warning tone was not lost on Draco, even if their daughter didn’t fully pick up on it. 

“Okay, okay! So, two days went by and the girl had done nothing but cry. In the afternoon of the second day, the Queen came by to see how she was doing. ‘You’ve not done any of it, what is the meaning of this?’ The Queen was furious and the silly girl panicked. ‘I’m just missing home, your Majesty, that’s all. I can do it, I promise.’ The Queen left the girl in the room, telling her to make sure she got the work done.” 

  
Draco’s dramatic tone had Hermione sniggering into the back of her hand, and he shot his wife an amused look. Cassie, however, was completely engrossed in the story, looking up expectantly at her father for more. 

“Later that evening, three old women appeared at the window of the girl’s room. They had heard her crying and asked what was wrong. The young girl explained she had to spin all of the flax and didn’t know how she was going to do it. So, the three old women offered to—”

  
“Offered to help her,” Hermione cut Draco off, shooting him another warning look. “They offered to help her spin the flax by _ teaching _ her and, in return, they wanted an invitation to the wedding. The young girl eagerly agreed; inviting the women to the wedding wouldn’t be so bad. Sure they looked a bit odd — one had a very large foot, one had a very fat lip, and the other had a comically large thumb. Still, she thought nothing of it, they seemed like lovely people and they were going to help her.” 

  
“You don’t tell it as good as Daddy!” Cassie sulked, snuggling closer to her father. 

“Well, Daddy doesn’t know this part of the story like Mummy does.” 

“That’s cause Mummy keeps changing the story…” Draco snipped under his breath. 

  
“So, the old women taught the girl how to spin the flax. She was still too slow to get all three rooms done by the end of the next day, so they _ helped _ her and, by the time the Queen came back at the end of day three, all the flax was spun. The Queen was delighted and hugged the girl. ‘Congratulations, tomorrow you will marry the Prince!’ The End.” Hermione finished, grinning down at her daughter. 

“No, Mummy, that’s not right, it can’t be the end. You didn’t say the bit about the wedding, and you didn’t say ‘and they lived happily ever after!’” Cassie whined up at her, her scowl deepening. 

“And they all had a very lovely wedding, okay? The three old women came, just as the girl promised — because it’s always important to keep your promises — and they all lived happily ever after!” Hermione finished, looking hopeful. 

“No, and she never had to spin flax again because the Prince didn’t want her to look ugly!” Cassie huffed and rolled her eyes. 

“If you already know the fairytale, why are Daddy and I telling it to you? And, I don’t like the ending so I made up a different one. That Prince wasn’t very nice, he judged those women on their looks, despite all the hard work they had clearly done over their lives. And, his new wife supposedly loved spinning and he stopped her from doing it. I don’t want you to ever let someone stop you from doing something you love.” 

“Like flying?” Their daughter grinned up at her, exposing the gaps where she’d lost her first couple of teeth. 

“Well, not exactly. Flying is dangerous, Cass. I just want you to wait a little bit, until you’re older.” 

“But James flies all the time _ and _ Albus. And Daddy lets me go flying when you go out with Aunty Ginny and… oops.” Cassie’s hands flew over her mouth and she looked guiltily up at Draco. “Sorry, Daddy.” 

  
Draco’s face had gone white, his eyes closed, too afraid to open them and face the wrath of his wife. 

“Oh, Daddy does, does he?” The tone in his wife's voice sent chills down Draco’s spine. “Well, Daddy and I will be having a little chat about that later. Right now, missy, it’s time for sleep! We’re going over to Diagon Alley tomorrow so you need to be up bright and early and full of beans!” Hermione glared at Draco before smiling sweetly down at Cassie, rising to tuck her into bed. “Goodnight, sweetheart. Sweet dreams.” 

“And don’t let the bed bugs bite!” Cassie finished, gripping her toy dragon close to her and snuggling down. 

“Goodnight, angel, sleep well. Wish me luck!” Draco dropped a kiss on her head before following Hermione out of the room.


End file.
